1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a color conversion device, color conversion method, color conversion program storage medium, color conversion coefficient generation device color conversion coefficient generation method and color conversion coefficient generation program storage medium. The present invention more specifically relates to color conversion process and color conversion coefficient generation process that carry out color conversion on color image signals when reproducible color regions for color image signals on the input device and those of the output device are different with each other.
2. Related Art
Devices for outputting color images exist, such as, for example, CRT and LCD display devices, printing devices such as printers, and the like. Output devices such as these, differ in their reproducible color ranges due to factors such as their different output methods, in other words they differ in their color regions. Therefore, for example, when printing an image that has been generated on a CRT with a printer, if the same data is output to different output devices, it is possible that colors which are unable to be reproduced may exist. In such cases; at least the colors that are unable to be reproduced are replaced with colors that are thought to be the closest thereto for output, so that the image as a whole may be reproduced with optimal image quality for that output device. In order to carry out the above, it is necessary to carry out color mapping that replaces the received color image signal with colors that fall within the color region of the output device, or, in other words, it is necessary to carry out color conversion.
However, there are various characteristics of input image signals, and with the above described conventional technology, it is not always the case that appropriate color conversion can be carried out for a given input image signal.